The Spans of Time
by Kin no Ryu
Summary: While in West City, Ed and Al encounter the ghost of a young girl. What happened to her and how are they involved? Rating because of death scene.
1. Prologue

**Okay, so I've had an idea for a story like this for quite a while now. I finally got around to writing it, and I'm fairly happy with what I've got so far.**

**Ed: "What the hell is wrong with you?! Why am I tied to a chair?! And there's no such thing as ghosts!"**

**Ryu: *dark evil shadows fall over face* "How do you know?" o.O**

**Ed: "I've never seen one."**

**Ryu: *facepalm* "Heh... Ask the colonel and his men about Warehouse 13, then."**

**Ed: "...WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALL ENOUGH TO- MMFFFFF!" *cut off as Ryu slaps duct tape across his mouth***

**Ryu: "I DIDN'T EVEN SAY ANYTHING! And now, without further interruption, *stares at Ed* I bring you THE DREADED DISCLAIMER: **

**I doust not ownith FullMetal Alchemist, for ifith I hadith, THY WORLD WOULD KNOWITH! Though, I do own Claudia.**

* * *

Prologue

1890, West City

Thirteen-year-old Claudia Moore lay awake in her bed. She was having one of those nights where no matter what she did she couldn't sleep. She had rolled this way and that trying to find a comfortable position, but to no avail. She had gone to the sink for a glass of water, but that didn't help either.

She glanced at her bedside clock. The full moon provided enough light to show that the simple timepiece read 1:27. With a sigh, she sat up and stared out the window to the moonlit brook flowing outside.

_I wonder if taking a walk will help, _she thought.

As silently as she could, Claudia went to her closet and put on her favorite bathrobe, the white one with purple and blue flowers scattered across the fabric. Slipping into her lavender bedroom slippers, she tiptoed her way through the house to the back door. _Mother and Pa don't have to know. I'll only be out for fifteen minutes or so, _she told herself. _I'll be back before they even notice I'm gone._

Following the well-worn path down to the stream, she carefully picked her way across the old rope bridge to the other bank. She had come this way many times before, but never in the dark. All the same, though, she wasn't too concerned.

Listening to the babbling of the brook, Claudia strolled silently down the riverbank. The hooting of owls and the chirping of crickets replaced the usual diurnal sounds of songbirds. Enjoying the peace and quiet, she came upon her favorite rock formation. Shaped just like a natural bench, it was here that she found herself sitting on most of her strolls.

Sitting down, she closed her eyes as she felt the cool night fog lift from the creek. She welcomed the cold dampness on her face. Letting her mind drift, she found herself remembering last Sunday when she had spent the late morning playing with the family dog in their shallow garden pond. Her mother hadn't given her permission and Claudia smiled as she recalled the look her mother had given her when she walked through the door, dripping wet.

"Claudia Marie!" her mother had shrieked, "What in the world possessed you to go frolicking in the pond? And in your good Sunday dress, too!"

"But Mother, it's such a beautiful morning. I just wanted to have some fun."

"You should've asked before you went hopping in the pond."

"I was scared you'd tell me no," Claudia answered sheepishly.

"If I did, there would've been a good reason for it. Couldn't you've at least worn something else? Your _bathing suit,_ perhaps?" her mother replied rather disappointedly.

Claudia sighed. "I guess I could've."

"Young lady, go put some dry clothes on and then hang that dress on the clothes line."

"Yes, Mother."

Claudia sighed and stood up from her makeshift bench. Stretching, she decided it was time to head back. Glancing at the stream, she couldn't help but notice the large dark shadow obscuring her own. Behind her stood the military hotel. The hulking shape loomed over her as she headed back the way she'd come from.

She could remember back before they'd built the hotel. There used to be a meadow there where Pa and she would play. Oh, how times were so much simpler back then. In those days, they were all cheerfully oblivious to the turmoil their nation of Amestris was caught up in. Now, though, with the new military hotel, they were always aware whenever something arose.

As Claudia walked back home, she was unaware of the shadowy figure following her. That was, until it launched itself out of the woods and tackled her. Startled, she let out a scream, which was quickly muffled as the figure clamped a hand over her mouth. The man – Claudia could tell by the build – quickly gagged her and bound her hands behind her back.

"Maybe this'll persuade your parents to sell their house," she heard him say over the pounding of her heart in her ears.

She was absolutely terrified. What did this man want with her parents? What was he going to do to _her?_ Her answered her mental question by tying another rope around her ankles – and attached to the other end of the rope was a cinder block.

_Oh God… Oh dear God, he's going to drown me! _She thought.

The man picked her up and hauled her to the bank of the brook. He turned to her. "Lucky you decided to wander around tonight. Didn't have to break in to get you…. Know how deep it is here?"

She shook her head.

"Ten feet. Not very deep, but deep enough for this," he said as he threw her in the creek.

Claudia barely had the time to take a breath before she plunged into the cold water. _I'm really going to die here, aren't I? But I don't want to die! Not yet, at least!_

She struggled against her bindings, but the ropes held fast. As her lungs began to ache, she realized her endeavors were hopeless. The need to breath became greater and greater, until she couldn't hold it anymore.

In a sudden flurry of bubbles, her lungs emptied themselves, and on instinct, she inhaled. The icy water rushed down her throat as she felt her muscles contract to close off her lungs. Her watery world began to spin, as her vision grew fuzzy around the edges.

_Mother… Pa… I… I'm sorry… I should've stayed in bed…_

And then the world went black.

* * *

**So, what do you think of it?**

**Ryu: *Rips duct tape off Ed's mouth***

**Ed: "OW! You killed a girl."**

**Ryu: "No, that a-hole did."**

**Ed: "You're the one who wrote it!"**

**Ryu: "DEATHS MAKE STORIES MORE INTERESTING! *slaps duct tape back on Ed's mouth***

**PLEAS R&R!**


	2. Arrival in West City

**Heeeeere's Chapter 1!**

**Ryu: I guess I can be a nice person and untie you, Ed... *rips off duct tape again***

**Ed: OW! You are a horrible person...**

**Ryu: Yes. Yes I am. Would you be so kind as to do the disclaimer?**

**Ed: Fine. Kin no Ryu does not own FullMetal Alchemist. The only character she owns is Claudia, so far. WILL YOU LET ME GO?!**

**Ryu: Nope!**

* * *

_Chapter 1_

1914, West City

"Brother…Brother?...Brother!" Alphonse Elric's voice grew louder as he prodded at his older brother sprawled across the seat opposite of him, snoring obnoxiously in blissful sleep. "Brother…Edward! We're here!" He said as he finally tugged his older brother from the seat by the arm, letting him fall to the coach floor.

Edward's arms flailed wildly as the impact with the floor jolted him awake. "What the hell just happened?" He sat up between the seats, rubbing his elbow where it had collided with the bench leg.

"We're here. You wouldn't wake up, Ed."

"Well, couldn't you have found a different way to wake me up besides throwing me on the floor? Like poking me? Jeeze, Al…"

"I tried that, and you know it never works," Al replied in an admonishing tone. "Come on, we better go before the train takes off again." Rising to his feet, Alphonse offered a hand to his older brother seated on the floor, who gladly accepted it.

Reaching up, Edward pulled their worn leather suitcase from the overhead rack. Releasing a great yawn, he turned to Al. "Any idea what time it is?" he asked as they stepped onto the platform from the coach.

"Well, you're the one with the pocket watch."

"Guess you've got a point," Edward muttered as he shielded his eyes from the sun sinking low over the buildings of West City. Yanking on the silver chain dangling from his belt loop, he pulled his silver state alchemist's watch out. Flipping it open, he found the hands read 6:45. "It's a quarter 'til seven," the young alchemist stated.

"Sounds like we better go find the hotel," Al suggested. He added sarcastically, "Let me guess: the colonel wouldn't tell you where it's at."

Edward stopped walking as he threw his hands in the air. "What else would you expect? It's like that bastard thinks it's funny to know we're wandering around some unfamiliar city without a clue of where we're going! He has a pathetic sense of humor." Al emitted a small snicker, and upon hearing it, Ed whipped around and glared at him, his braid slapping his shoulder. "You think it's funny, too?" he snarled.

"Nope. Not at all," Al replied with the slightest hint of a chuckle.

As if it, too, had something to say at the moment, Edward's stomach let out a low reverberating growl. Ed's expression immediately changed to one of doleful misery. "Aaaaallllll, I'm hungry," he whined.

Al couldn't contain his laughter any longer. "Alright Brother, we'll find something."

* * *

"So supposedly there's some ancient alchemist who's been researching the philosopher's stone around here." Edward proceeded to shove another fork full of _spätzle_ noodles into his mouth.

"Any idea as to what his motivation would be? And Brother, please don't talk with your mouth full." Al thought to himself, _I swear, sometimes I feel as if I'm the older brother. _

Ignoring the advice of his younger brother, Ed added more noodles to his already occupied mouth. "Nuh…" he paused to swallow. "Nothing for sure, but Mustang said there are rumors that he's attempted human transmutation, so I believe we may have something there."

Edward finished off the last of his pork sausage links in one bite, much to Al's disdain, and stood to leave. "We'd better get going. It's getting late and I don't want to be running around after dark in a strange city unless we have to be."

Their waiter approached their table, asking if Ed enjoyed his meal.

"Yes, very much. Thank you." Turning to leave, Ed thought better of it and instead turned back to the waiter. "Would you happen to know where the military hotel is at?"

The waiter tipped his head in thought. "Not exactly, but I do know it's on the east side of the city, along the river."

"Okay, thanks!" Ed spun around and took off at a run, yelling back over his shoulder, "C'mon, Al, hurry up!"

"Coming, Brother!"

As they ran off, the waiter yelled after them, "Oh! And stay away from the river after the sun goes down! It's not safe!"

Al threw a glance back over his shoulder. "Alright!"

* * *

"Here is the key to your room, sir. Room 303. You'll find it on the third floor and it'll be on your right." The man behind the front desk handed Edward a single key engraved with the numbers "303," swinging from a small metal ring.

"Thanks," Ed said as he headed for the staircase. Al picked up the suitcase left behind by his older brother and followed him up the stairs. Ed flung open the hotel room door, flipped on the light switch, and promptly flounced on the bed, tossing his red coat on the floor. "Aw, man, Al. I'm beat."

"I don't see why, brother. All you did on the train was eat and sleep." Their room wasn't anything fancy. As with most of the other military hotels they'd stayed in, the décor was rather simple. Everything was made of matching wood, and what wasn't wood was colored a pale blue or white. Two twin-sized beds were stationed along opposite walls. Beside each, there was a small bedside nightstand, and centered between them was a simple wooden desk with a couple drawers on the right-hand side, matched with an unadorned chair. At the foot of each bed stood a three-drawer dresser and it was on one of these dressers that Al set the brothers' suitcase.

By this time, the sun had already set. Above the bed that Edward was sprawled out across there was a window overlooking the stream outside. The moon shown through the leaves of the trees across the brook and reflected off the flowing water.

"So we're going to head to the library tomorrow, right?" Al asked his weary older brother.

"Ah, we'll figure out what we're doing in the morning. Right now I just want to get some sleep," Ed replied, but his brother had stopped listening. Instead, Al stood staring out the window into the night. "What are you looking at?"

Al jumped as if shaken out of a trance. "N-nothing. I just thought I saw someone out there, that's all."

"Someone out there?" Ed sat up on the bed and gazed out the window.

"They're not out there now, Brother. I think I was just seeing things. Forget about it."

"Whatever," was the reply he got as Ed flopped back on the bed. "I'm going to sleep."

"Okay." Al walked across the room to shut the lights off before he took up his regular night watch.

* * *

Outside, a young girl sat on a strange bench-shaped stone, adorned in a white flowered robe.

Without a move, she vanished.

* * *

**I know it's short, but I'm a beginner! Hopefully as I continue, I'll make them longer.**

**I have a general idea on where I want to take this, but if you have any suggestions, ideas, or requests, let me know, and I'll see what I can do with them.**

**Ciao!**


End file.
